Couples should learn investing together

Your wife clips coupons to make ends meet, while you think now is the time for you to buy that big screen TV.

He said couples argue a lot about money. “When it comes to money, nobody ever agrees. And in my family, my wife calls me Imelda Marcos because I like shop and buy clothes,” says financial expert and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki.

But his wife Kim likes to make money. “But we have this agreement: I can spend whatever I want as long as I make the money first. So that means, invest my money.”

His example was a recent car purchase. “Like when I wanted a new Porsche, I had to go buy a piece of real estate and the piece real estate bought my Porsche for me. So my liabilities buy my assets. That’s a rule in our family.

Now you may not be able to do that, but Kiyosaki said you and your mate should learn about money together by reading books and attending seminars. He said that allows you to have calm, rational discussions about your finances.

“I would rather spend my time learning how to, not only make my money, but leverage my money to make more money so I don’t have to clip coupons or never do I ever have to say I can’t afford something.”

Kiyosaki said most couples don’t take the time to learn all they can about money. “Most people invest money. But they don’t invest any time in education and unfortunately then couples fight. You know the number one cause of divorce is money. It damages families and all this. Yet they won’t invest anytime in going to the library and getting a book and studying it together.”

Here’s how the money discussions go in Kiyosaki’s family: “My wife and I often read articles together. We go to seminars together and we talk about money like mature individuals. We don’t fight about money, but unfortunately, that’s what most people do.”